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Friday, 7 June 2013

While the public decides how to deal with Google Glass-wearing cyborgs
walking among us, there are already startups trying to add facial
recognition to the device. That includes
the MedRef for Glass app for Doctors and an API created by Lambda Labs
that's on the way. Unfortunately, apparently due to privacy concerns, a
post tonight by the Project Glass team says that it will not approve any
app using the tech for release -- at least until it has some privacy
protections in place. That's the same standard it previously said would
need to be met before it added facial recognition to its own services.

We've been listening closely to you, and many have expressed both
interest and concern around the possibilities of facial recognition in
Glass. As Google has said for several years, we won't add facial
recognition features to our products without having strong privacy
protections in place. With that in mind, we won't be approving any
facial recognition Glassware at this time. Without approval, we
don't expect to see any standard apps with the API built-in, however
with the headset's current wide open nature, we assume interested
hackers will be able to get the software running if they so desire. So,
how comfortable do you feel having a conversation with someone wearing
Glass, considering third parties may add extra features even if Google
itself is not involved?